


A Half Day Off

by swaneewhistleandkazoo



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Dating, F/M, Fluff, Hopeful Ending, Humor, Idiots in Love, Insecure Newt Scamander, Jealous Newt Scamander, Just a bit of fun really, Love, Minor Queenie Goldstein/Jacob Kowalski, Past Relationship(s), Post-Movie 2: Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, Romantic Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-29
Updated: 2018-12-29
Packaged: 2019-09-30 03:16:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17215976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swaneewhistleandkazoo/pseuds/swaneewhistleandkazoo
Summary: In light of the tragic events of Paris and the desperate, tireless search for Grindelwald and his followers in the months that have followed since, it may be rather selfish of him to feel as happy but he is because he has the afternoon off work and he’s spending it with Tina.Now staring Jacob as the Ultimate Wingman.





	A Half Day Off

In light of the tragic events of Paris and the desperate, tireless search for Grindelwald and his followers in the months that have followed since, it may be rather selfish of him to feel as happy as he does right now but he is. He is happy.

The joy bubbling within him is too riotous to be contained. And he refuses to even try.

Only years of strict conditioning prevent him from breaking into a happy skip every other pace as he strode through the red velveteen corridors down to the Ministries visitors entrance in the Atrium.   

After all since Leta’s death he’s reflected life is far too short to wallow in sorrow, after all the world turns, the sun rises into the sky and life goes on. And she would have wanted them to go on living…. Someone like her so bright and full of the boundless energy and sorrow embracing every experience thrown at her….he can think of no better way to try to honour her memory.

Sometimes it’s hard and the memories catch like broken glass, especially when he looks at his brother’s tired grief stricken visage but Theseus is off the same mind he is and grimly marches on through his grief so how can he do any less.

He’s happy because a miracle has happen. The planets have aligned and seen fit to grant him with an Half Day. One precious, gloriously free afternoon and he’s spending it with Tina.

By some miracle of miracles their Half Days have coincided and he has a strong suspicion that Theseus has pulled some strings to arrange it.

Once he would have resented his brother’s interference but it doesn’t bother him so much now.

Jacob is coming along too after all it would be unfair to show Tina around London’s magical streets without including Jacob, both strangers in a strange land, both set adrift by Queenie’s defection. If he’s being completely truthfully with himself he’s glad Jacob’s coming with them, a sort of conversational lubricant between them to prevent their mutual awkwardness from overwhelming them both.

He’s so excited.

It’s been hard for him and Tina to get some time alone together between work, tending his creatures, Tina and the other Aurors disappearing off to conduct raids for weeks at a time and having four people living on top of each other in a too small house. And that’s not counting the number of people from Dumbledore’s resistance group; they are going to have to come up with a better name, traipsing in at all hours.

Just as he rounds the corner and enters the magnificent Atrium the red telephone box of the Visitor’s entrance to ascending gracefully back up to street level and standing almost directly beneath it, looking around in bewildered amazement is the stocky figure of his friend Jacob. Who breaks into a jovial grin when he spots him jogging over, arms spread wide with welcome.

“Newt!” Jacob is as exuberant as ever, clapping him on the shoulder leaving a puff of flour there and giving him a hug. “Thanks for arranging this buddy”

“It’s no trouble” He replied placidly at his friend, tugging him over to the lift so they can go up to Level 2 and the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to retrieve Tina so they can start their time together as soon as possible “I thought you’d both like to see Diagon alley, it’s very famous in the magical community and I have to go there anyway to see about the second edition”

Jacob shudders as the lift starts moving backwards and up, like the porkey he’s afflicted by motion sickness whenever he uses it. “I ain’t never seen a place that’s just for wizards, cept for Paris I guess. I always thought that…. Queenie said she’d…..” He trailed off swallowing thickly, As much as he tries to hide it there’s an air of sadness emanating from him “I just thought she’d be the one to show it to me.” He finished sadly and all Newt can do is shift uncomfortable from foot to foot, wishing he was better at finding the right thing to say.

He still can’t quite believe that Tina got assigned to the Task force and that the President allowed Jacob to stay.

_“Look Lady, if it weren’t for your crazy law she and I would be married right now and none of this would have happened. So I am staying right here until we get her back. Besides you need a guy who knows about no-maj warfare and all you got is me”_

_Both he and Tina had been impressed and horrified at Jacob’s boldness._

_And yet more amazed that she didn’t oblivate him on the spot_

When they leave the relative quiet of the lift they walk into a wall of noise. The Auror office is the same as always a cluttered open area divided into cubicles, buzzing with talk and laughter.

When he and Jacob turn the corner into the cluttered Auror office and perched casually on the edge of Tina’s desk, chatting cheerfully to her is Mr Tolliver. He’s devastatingly handsome with his dark blonde hair combed into a perfect fashionable wave not like his untameable locks, his tall well built frame leaning slightly towards Tina who looked up at him with a slight smile on his face.

He just barely manages to suppress the ugly snarl reverberating inside his chest.

Mr Tolliver had arrived with the President and Mr Graves and assigned along with Tina to join the joint task force trying to track down Grindelwald and his followers.

If it were in his nature, he would hate him.

Although it’s very unfair to Mr Tolliver, he’s sure he’s actually a very nice man, he just doesn’t like him.

Not one bit, not from the moment they met.

_In the corridor outside the courtroom where the inquisition is taking place, Tina leans against the wall, arms wrapped tightly around her middle like she was trying to prevent herself from breaking apart, too distressed after the President’s issue of an arrest warrant for Queenie to remain upright while he can only hover helplessly and try to comfort her. God only knows what they’re going to tell Jacob. Wringing his hands and shifting from foot to foot as he wrestles with the urge give in and just hold her._

_The MACUSA have a curse to kill policy, if Queenie does not come quietly when they find her then her life may be in forfeit._

_She’s turned her face away from him, trying to hide her emotions from him. For a horrible moment he’s back in the Parisian Catacombs during their little misunderstanding, as he likes to think of that time, and pushing him away from her. Locking her feelings of pain and hurt deep within herself to try to limit the damage his idiocy has caused to her._

_She shouldn’t be doing that, turning away from him. He thinks numbly, tongue tied and completely at a lost, after all he’s here for her why can she let him help shoulder her burden? She’s all at sea without an anchor…_

_…A low sound escapes the back of her throat, full of pain and utter sorrow and he’s moving before he’s even realised, pulling her into his arms and is holding her tightly. For a heartbeat Tina stiffens against him and for a moment he’s afraid he’s gone too far and she might pull away before she relaxes, pressing her face into the junction between his neck and shoulder, fingers digging into his coat so hard he’s sure her knuckles must have turned white and shudders against him as painful sounding sobs are wrenched from her chest._

_He’s not a hugger, he’s always found them trapping, claustrophobic even and hated the feel of someone on his skin but with her, it’s not so bad in fact it’s quite pleasant. Maybe this is why Theseus likes to hug people._

_He does not want to be thinking of his brother right now._

_Very carefully he traces the curve of her spine, the sharp edges of her shoulder blades and measures the uneven expansion and contraction of her rib cage, hoping that she finds it soothing. Eventually her heartbreaking sobs subside and he expects her to push him away but instead she presses more firmly against him, rubbing her cheek catlike against his collarbone. Her hair is so soft against his cheek, her breath warm on his neck, it feels so good that his eyes slide shut and they quietly hold each other, for how long he’s doesn’t know and doesn’t care._

_He can hear the heavy tread of different feet as people walk past them probably gawking but he doesn’t care, they don’t matter right now only Tina does._

_“Goldstein?” A loud male voice jerks them from their reprieve and Tina snatched herself away from him, using the heels of her hands to dash away her tears. After a moment to school his expression into something other than annoyance at the interruption he turns to look at the interloper.  Approaching them with a confident stride, is a tall, blonde Auror, with the kind of good looks and dashing smile that always made him feels small and self continuous._

_“Achilles?” Tina sounds utterly shocked “What are you doing here?”_

_An instinctive dislike bubbles up inside him and it confuses him, it’s not like him to dislike someone purely on sight alone before it occurs to him who this man is._

_Mr Tolliver, the Auror Tina had been seeing when she thought he was engaged to Leta. Jealously and insecurity racks their claws across his intestines and he wants to sic the Zhou Wu, on him only Tina would not approve. Although a glance at her pale confused face may indicate otherwise._

_The man stopped in front of them, hands laced respectfully and smiles charmingly at Tina, who is apparently still stuck processing that he’s in front of her. “I’ve been to the task force same as you” A sorrowful expression crossed his face “We’re all so sorry to hear about Queenie. How you holding up?”_

_The annoying, oh so attractive twang of his southern accent is setting his teeth on edge. It’s the sort of voice that sends women into a tizzy. There is genuine care and kindness in it that goes with the kind twinkle in his eyes and he can tell that he is a genuinely good man._

_Of course Achilles is a good man, why else would have Tina chosen to go out with him. And that makes it all the more unreasonable for him to dislike him because if he only dislikes him because Tina liked him then that makes him a bit of an arse._

_Leave us alone, he wants to snap at him, can’t you see that she’s upset and I’m comforting her or are you as blind as a bat._

_Although that is a disservice to bats_

_And it’s not his place to say it._

_So he steps back and says nothing, only vaguely following their small talk and attempt to wrestle his jealously back into a corner of his mind._

_“Who’s your friend?”_

_Tina’s cool, slender fingers wrap lightly around his wrist, drawing him back into the conversation and he’s so elated that she’s touching him again not Mr Tolliver that he almost misses his introduction._

_“This is my…my…” Tina hesitated apparently trying to figure out the best way to describe him “…My friend Mr Scamander. Newt this is…” again she paused “…my friend Mr Tolliver, he’s an Auror with the MACUSA”_

_Achilles stern steady gaze bored into his and to his own amazement he held it._

_His animosity apparently is mutual._

_“Ah” There’s a gleam of recognition in Mr Tolliver’s eyes “I’ve read your book, it’s very good”_

_“Thank you” He heard himself murmur and either politeness for Tina’s sake or the pressures of social convention made him extend his hand._

_They shook hands, squeezing each other’s hand too tightly testing each other’s grip and like two stags took measure of each other._

_I can still win her over, Achilles told him silently, It’s not over yet_

_You can try He replied just as silently accepting the challenge, but I think you’ll find she’s already made a decision._

Since that day they’ve been engaged in a subtle masculine competition, a pissing contest if he’s perfectly honest about it and it’s utterly pointless, insignificant in face of the tragedy taking place in the wizarding world and yet he cannot stop himself.

Thankfully as far as he’s aware Tina remains oblivious to them competing over her. A sleek powerful lioness, he pictures her, intent on hunting down her prey and protecting those she considers her cubs while he and Achilles bluster, roar and swipe at each other over who gets the privilege of being her mate.

_Like every animal_ , _the stags rutting in the autumn, Erumpent’s exploding each other or magpies filling their nests with sparkly treasures_ he mused to himself alone in his basement one night while tending the Kelpie _Even human’s_ _have their own ways of trying to attract mates._

Mostly it seemed to involve them swapping increasing hair raising stories of their exploits, showing off their bravery, strength and skill in managing to survive these perils. He had to admit that Achilles was a very brave, skilful man fighting off all those Scourers in Wyoming but he beat that story with one of his many tales of dragon taming in the Eastern Front. He supposed that in telling those tales within earshot of Tina, they were trying to prove to her and each other that they had the skill and good genes necessary to survive those dangers and would pass on those traits to her children. 

They’d also arm wrestled and  nothing has made him more thankful for the hours of manual labour it took to care for his creatures.

If anyone just looked at them and guessed at his and Achilles relationship, swapping stories, they’d have guessed that they were friends.

Ugh.

The story swapping naturally had lead to a “Who has the most impressive scar” completion with him and in the middle of pushing his trousers below his hip to show the nasty scar where a Hungarian Horntail had caught him on the thigh with a tail spike when Tina had returned to her desk to find them both shirtless and with trouser legs rolled up comparing old injuries and how they’d gotten them.

She’d blushed a very attractive shade of red and angrily ordered them both to put their clothes back on while lecturing them both on boundaries in the work place, but her dark gaze had lingered a little too long on his chest and he’d preened a little at her admiration.

“Newt, Jacob!” Tina interrupts whatever Achilles had been telling her, a delighted expression spreading gleefully across her face and waved at them with a stack of paperwork, It’s good she’s looking so cheerful, since Queenie’s disappearance she’s worked herself to the bone neglecting sleep and food to try to find her. “I’ve just got to deal with these and then I’m all yours” At that faint blush spreads across her cheeks which makes her even more tantalisingly attractive and makes him feel all giddy.

 “I’ve got it” he piped up flourishing his wand to vanish the papers, knocking over the ink pot with his enthusiasm,

Achilles has also drawn his wand “No” He said firmly “I’ll do it I know where they’re supposed to go”

A stalemate dragged on between them.

Tina fixed them both with a stern glare, fire flickering in her beautiful dark eyes, cowing them both into submission while Jacob stands amused by their antics and vanished the pile of paperwork herself and returning the ink to its inkwell in one smooth gesture.

Apparently she’s not as oblivious to their contest over her as she’d lead them to believe.

And she does not appreciate it.

“Just go Goldstein” Theseus, clapped a hand on his shoulder making him start having not heard him approach, he’s thinner than ever and he’s worried about his brother “Or I’ll give your Half Day to someone else”

He’s about to make a swift retort back at Theseus at the unfairness when Tina seized him by the hand, making his whole arm start tingle and burn pleasantly and dragged both him and Jacob out of the Auror Office and into the hustle and bustle of the streets of muggle London.

*

Lunch in the Leaky Cauldron is very pleasant all things considered.

Although Jacob nearly chokes on a talon hiding in his stew as a root vegetable and Newt has to clear his airway with the Anapneo spell. “Thanks Buddy” Jacob coughed weakly, rubbing at his throat and gulping down great swallows of his beer. Tina was eying her next spoonful with deep suspicion.

“So sorry” He mumbled sending a glare at the Bartender “They usually get everything but sometimes they miss a bone” Or a talon which does make him absentmindedly wonder what sort of animal they’re eating.

Unfortunately it’s delicious.

 He’ll definitely have it again sometime.

“It’s fine” Jacob incites, attacking his plate with renewed gusto but a little more cautiously that before “Besides…” He chewed for a moment one cheek bulging “It ain’t the worst thing ever I’ve eaten”

His little comment quickly degenerates into a lively discussion/argument between the three of them on the worst things they’ve ever eaten, which ended with them all pushing their plates away in disgust when Tina tells them about a raid she was part off before her demotion and when they’d broken into the shop the strike team had found a baker putting goblin meet in pies and selling them.

Desert is a lot more palatable great slabs of treacle tart and a river of cream which Jacob delightedly coos over and bustles off to speak to the cook, knowing Jacob he’ll charm the recipe off her and present himself and Tina with a superior treacle tart in a few days time.

The man has a gift for puddings.

Although now he thinks about it Jacob mentioned to him that he’d give them some alone time, so it might have been him slipping off to give them a little privacy.

What a nice chap.

Tina regarded at him over the rim of her coffee cup, her dark eyes alight with something he can’t quite decipher. The background noise of the other diners in the pub reduces to near mute he’s so caught up in her looking at him. Those arresting fire in dark water eyes he loves it went she looks at him so softly, alive with emotion, it reminds him of the moment he looked at her when he said good bye to her and thought “Oh Wow she is beautiful” and he could drown in them forever. When they look at each other, it’s a timeless moment for him and all that matters is that she’s here with him and it’s just wonderful. He can look at her as much as he likes and they can talk about anything and everything. After Queenie left them she’d nearly run herself into the ground with her grief and guilt so he’s glad that she’s letting herself find a moment of happiness and peace.

Then again maybe he’s got something on his face?

Hands made clumsy by her regard as he lifts his hand to swipe at his mouth, just to make sure, he manages to poke himself in the eye instead making him yelp with shock. Even with slightly watery eyes her soft laughter makes it all worthwhile.

“Sorry” He mutters when her chuckles die down, resting the offending hand flat on the table to prevent a repeat incident “You were looking at me and I thought I might have something on my face. Do I have everything on my face?”

“Newt” His heart clenches a little when she says his name, it’s so much better than that cool Mr Scamander she called him in Paris, her hand crept across the table to entwine his fingers with hers,  tracing the bite scars there with her thumb and his heart sped up a little. Flush with embarrassment she fixed her dark eyes on the grain of the table and he doesn’t like the loss of them. “I just like to look at you sometimes, you look happier”

It feels like a lifetime ago when he sat in weary longing in that café in Paris watching a man whisper sweet nothings to a woman who looked a little like Tina, wishing she was there.

This is better, so much better.

“I am happy…” He told her simply and can hear the truth in his tone, gripping her hand more firmly and drawing small circles on the tender skin between her thumb and forefinger before drawing her hand up slowly and pressing his lips to her oh so soft skin. Momentarily lost as how to put how he’s feeling into words before deciding it’s doesn’t matter, to keep it simple. “…I’m with you”

Her returning smile is diamond brilliant “I’m happy” she told him softly “I am happy too”

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed this.
> 
> I can totally see Newt and Achilles having a “Who has the better scars” completion ala Jaws
> 
> The goblins in pies thing I couldn’t resist throwing in a reference to that Quibbler article about Cornelius “Goblin-Crusher” Fudge and the alleged pies he’s had made from goblins from Order of the Phoenix. 
> 
> The stew at the Leaky Cauldron is based in part on a stew a relative of mine made every single Christmas from the Turkey carcass and it was perilous because you never knew if your next bite would be full of bones or not. However it is delicious, so so delicious. Well worth the risk. 
> 
> Your comments and kudos are as always deeply appreciated.


End file.
